Xecute CLI
Install from the repository root:
Install the published release with cargo install xecute-cli --locked.
New projects include a pinned Rust toolchain, formatted files, lockfile, Clippy/EditorConfig configuration, environment examples, CI checks, a non-root multi-stage Dockerfile with a static musl binary and a non-root distroless runtime. The server includes one JSON completion log per request without target or span metadata, UUID request IDs, per-IP rate limits, concurrency limits, request deadlines, body limits, error envelopes, explicit CORS origins, security headers, health probes, and bounded graceful shutdown. Generated middleware tests cover the defaults. Application authentication, shared rate limiting, dependency readiness checks, and TLS ingress still depend on the deployment.
Resources expose GET and POST endpoints. POST validates a name payload with
validator before invoking the command handler (CQRS) or service (MVC).
Commands:
-
run dev [--bin <name>] [--watch <path>] [-- <app arguments>]: run the debug application with automatic rebuild/restart on source and configuration changes. -
new <project|.> [--name <package-name>] [--mvc | --cqrs] [--runtime-path <path>]: create an independent Axum project. -
generate resource <name>/g res <name>: create and register a module, controller, DTO, entity, repository, and HTTP test, with a service by default or command/query handlers for CQRS projects. -
generate module <name>/g mo <name>: create and register an empty module. -
generate controller <name>/g co <name>: create a standalone injectable controller with a GET endpoint; register it in your module manually. -
generate service <name>/g s <name>: create a standalone injectable service; register it in your module manually.
Names such as user-profile become src/modules/user_profile/ and UserProfileModule.
No #[path] annotations are generated. Existing component folders are never
overwritten. Run generation from the project root. Automatic registration uses
the comments in app_module.rs; keep these markers when editing that file.
Generated projects use xecute = { version = "0.1.7", features = ["upload"] } from crates.io by default.
Use xecute new my-api --runtime-path /path/to/xecute/xecute for local development.
Generated CQRS resource folders contain module.rs, controller.rs,
commands/create.rs, queries/list.rs, services/<feature>_service.rs, dto/,
entity/, and repository/.
New projects use MVC with service.rs by default.
Use xecute new my-api --cqrs to generate command/query handlers instead.
--mvc also explicitly selects MVC.
The selection is saved in .xecute/architecture; commit this file. Subsequent
resource generation follows that selection. Existing projects without the file
keep the legacy MVC layout. Invalid configuration stops generation.
Command and query handlers inject a shared singleton service from services/.
The service contains business operations and injects the repository. The feature
module registers/exports the service and its handlers. MVC retains service.rs.
The CQRS services directory is available starting with CLI 0.1.9; existing
features are not rewritten automatically.
Separate databases, event sourcing, and message buses are optional. The repository is a bounded in-memory
example; replace it with durable storage before deployment.
Public API documentation uses ///; modules use //!. The compiler warns on
missing public documentation, and CI checks formatting and denies warnings.
Run cargo fmt --all to apply consistent spacing. Rust cannot evaluate the
quality of prose comments or require useful comments on every private line.
New projects also include a working ExampleModule and Swagger UI at /docs/
with OpenAPI JSON at /docs/openapi.json. Set docs.enabled = false in AppConfig.toml to
disable documentation. Assets are embedded, with remote validation disabled.
Generated controllers use xecute::prelude::*, #[controller] on the struct,
#[derive(Injectable)], #[routes], and &self handlers. #[body] and #[query]
validate DTOs automatically. #[api] and #[resp] feed the OpenAPI document.
Generated repositories also use #[derive(Injectable)]. Provider-owned storage
uses #[inject(default)]; dependency fields are resolved automatically. The
feature module registers the repository as a singleton, and services inject
it through Arc<FeatureRepository>.
Middleware is declared with #[middleware(auth, audit)] below #[controller]
on a controller struct, below #[routes] on its impl, or on an individual route
inside that impl. Register global middleware in generated src/middleware.rs
with app.use_middleware(auth). Execution follows app → controller → route →
validation → handler, with declaration order within each scope. Middleware can
return early or call next.run(request).await to continue.
Development hot reload
Run xecute run dev from an application root containing Cargo.toml. It starts
cargo run, polls source/configuration metadata every 200 ms, and debounces edits
for 300 ms. Build failures keep the watcher alive for the next edit. Ctrl-C stops
the managed Cargo/server processes; no external watcher installation is required.
Use --bin server for multiple binaries, repeat --watch ../path for external
source dependencies, and put application arguments after --. The generated
server uses server.bind_address in AppConfig.toml for its port; it does not parse --port automatically.
Watched extensions: rs, toml, json, yaml, yml, sql, html, css, js, ts, graphql;
also Cargo.lock, .env, and .env.*. Explicit files can have any extension.
Build output, VCS directories, node_modules, dist, build, and editor directories
are excluded. The resolved Cargo target directory is excluded even when customized.
Nested symlinks are skipped; additional paths must exist at startup.
Unix shutdown signals the process group, waits up to five seconds, then kills
remaining processes. Windows uses taskkill /T /F. Application stdin is closed.
Reload restarts the process and resets in-memory state; browser live refresh is
not included. This command is available starting with CLI 0.1.7.
CLI management and current-directory initialization
The following commands are available starting with CLI 0.1.8:
Update installs the latest crates.io xecute-cli with --locked --force into the
running executable's Cargo installation root. Uninstall removes only that Cargo
package from the same root, preserving application files and Rust/Cargo itself.
Both require a Cargo-tracked installation, including custom --root installs;
source executables in target/debug must first be installed through Cargo.
Update replaces local builds with the registry release and does not upgrade app
dependencies. Windows launches a PowerShell helper after the executable exits;
Cargo's output reports its result. Unix commands wait and propagate failures.
new . scaffolds directly into the current directory. Its basename supplies the
package name unless --name is specified. MVC/CQRS and local runtime options work
as usual. All generated destinations are checked first; existing scaffold files
are never overwritten. Unrelated files and .git are preserved. Symlinked parent
directories are rejected. Use a fresh directory or move conflicting files before
retrying. A named destination also accepts --name to choose its package name.
Feature module folders
All newly generated resources and standalone modules, controllers, and services
live under src/modules/<feature>/. Each resource keeps its controller, DI module,
DTOs, entities, repository, and HTTP tests together. CQRS resources also contain
commands, queries, and shared services. src/modules/mod.rs declares each feature;
AppModule imports and mounts it through crate::modules::<feature>.
src/
├── app_module.rs
├── modules/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ └── user/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ ├── module.rs
│ ├── controller.rs
│ ├── commands/
│ ├── queries/
│ ├── services/
│ │ ├── mod.rs
│ │ └── user_service.rs
│ ├── dto/
│ ├── entity/
│ ├── repository/
│ └── tests/
│ ├── mod.rs
│ └── http.rs
└── tests/ # Shared server/infrastructure tests
MVC resources use service.rs inside their feature folder instead of CQRS
commands/queries/services directories. This layout is available starting with
CLI 0.1.9; existing root-level features are preserved rather than moved.
Root welcome and startup documentation links
CLI 0.1.10 generates a welcome JSON response at GET / with HTTP 200, the app
name, status, and a /docs/ documentation path when Swagger is enabled. Startup
logs show the actual server, Swagger UI, and OpenAPI URLs. Disabled Swagger is
reported without links. Other unknown routes retain the normal 404 envelope.
Existing applications require the server changes; CLI updates do not rewrite them.
Application configuration
Ordinary settings live in the generated root AppConfig.toml. Commit this file;
keep credentials in .env or inject them through your deployment's secret store.
.env is optional and ignored by Git/Docker. Process variables take precedence
over .env for secrets. Ordinary settings have no environment fallback or override.
[]
= "127.0.0.1:3000"
= 30
= 10
= 1048576
= 256
[]
= 60
= 60
= 10000
[]
= ["https://example.com", "http://localhost:5173"]
= ["GET", "POST"]
= ["content-type", "authorization"]
= ["x-request-id", "retry-after"]
= false
= 600
[]
= true
[]
= "info"
= true
= "logs"
The generated CORS origin list is empty by default. Origins must be exact HTTP(S) origins without paths, credentials, wildcards, or trailing slashes. Credentials require a nonempty origin list. Arrays are native TOML arrays, without JSON or dotenv quoting. Invalid types, unknown keys, invalid protocol values, and numeric bounds fail startup before logging/listening. Missing individual values use typed defaults, but the file itself must exist. Request limits must be positive; the CORS cache duration may be zero.
Config::from_file() reads AppConfig.toml relative to the working directory.
Config::from_path(path) supports an explicit file chosen in bootstrap code.
The file is parsed once into a validated snapshot shared with logger startup;
there is no automatic production reload. Development hot reload watches TOML
files and restarts the process when settings change.
The Dockerfile includes this file and adapts only the generated loopback bind to
0.0.0.0:3000. Custom bind addresses remain unchanged. To supply deployment
settings, mount a replacement /app/AppConfig.toml read-only. The default private
/app/logs directory is owned by UID 65532; custom log mounts must also be writable
by this user. A read-only root filesystem requires writable log storage or an
empty logging.file_dir.
For custom settings, use xecute::config::ConfigFile with dotted paths and extend
the allowed-key schema in src/configs/server.rs. Use Env::process().secret(key)
for required credentials and tokens. The template .env.example contains only
commented credential examples, with no active configuration or fake secrets.
Static files
Newly generated applications include public/index.html, served at /static and
/static/, plus public/hello.txt, served at
http://127.0.0.1:3000/static/hello.txt. Static serving is enabled by default,
without environment settings. Add files to public/ and access them at /static/<filename>.
For example, public/images/logo.png is served at /static/images/logo.png.
To customize the directory, prefix, or enabled state, edit StaticConfig in
src/configs/static_files.rs. Relative directories use the application's working
directory; the public directory must exist and cannot be the application root or a symlink.
Files support GET, HEAD, MIME types, conditional requests, and byte ranges through
Tower HTTP ServeDir. Directory listings and nested directory indexes are disabled. The mount root
serves public/index.html; other assets use explicit filenames. Hidden path components, parent traversal, and
symlinked assets are rejected. Keep public directories limited to intended public
assets; static files share the application's CORS, request IDs, security headers,
logging, rate limits, and global middleware. HTML retains the restrictive API CSP;
this is asset serving, not a generated SPA hosting configuration.
The Docker image copies public/ into the runtime image. For another static directory,
adapt the Dockerfile or mount the asset directory read-only. Change files in the
public directory directly or mount updated assets; there is no binary embedding.
File logging and external logging backends
Logging outputs use these settings in AppConfig.toml:
[]
= true
= "logs"
logging.stdout_enabled controls JSON console output. A nonempty logging.file_dir
enables JSON file output and creates the private directory. Remove it or leave it
empty to disable file output. Generated projects include both settings above.
logging.filter continues to filter events across all outputs.
Files use the app prefix, daily rotation, and retention of seven matching files.
These defaults live in src/configs/logging.rs and can be changed in code.
Setting stdout false and omitting the file directory allows an exporter-only
configuration. An unwritable enabled file destination fails startup.
The file sink uses a dedicated writer thread and an 8192-entry bounded queue.
A full queue applies backpressure rather than silently dropping events. The
LoggerGuard returned from initialization is retained in server/bootstrap.rs
until normal server shutdown so pending writes are flushed. Forced termination
cannot guarantee pending log delivery. Built-in request events continue to omit
payloads, cookies, authorization headers, and query strings.
The default /logs/ path is ignored by Git and Docker. Configured log storage
must remain outside the public static directory, even if file output is currently
disabled. For a read-only container with file output enabled, mount private log
storage writable by the application's UID 65532. Console logging can instead be
collected by the deployment's log collector.
Sentry, Grafana/Loki, OpenTelemetry, and custom exporters
Application modules emit standard tracing events, so business code does not need
to change when a new destination is added:
info!;
warn!;
src/server/logging.rs exposes init_with_layer(&config, exporter_layer) for a
tracing_subscriber::Layer<Registry>. Replace the default bootstrap initialization
with this call after configuring your chosen SDK/collector. Standard console
and file sinks remain independently configurable and continue to receive the
same events. A test exporter verifies that file logging and an extra layer can
receive an event together.
For a future Sentry or OpenTelemetry integration, add its SDK dependencies and initialize its layer/provider before installing the subscriber. Keep SDK guards alive for the server lifetime and shut exporters down according to that SDK's requirements. Grafana/Loki deployments can also ingest the existing JSON stdout or files through a log collector. No cloud SDK, credentials, or outbound exporter is configured by default. Per-backend transport/retries/authentication belong in the selected SDK or collector, not in controllers or services.
Static serving, shared environment access, and configurable file/exporter logging are available starting with CLI 0.1.11. Existing applications need the corresponding source and dependency updates; updating the CLI does not rewrite an existing app.
Shared configuration readers
src/configs/environment.rs re-exports the shared runtime readers.
configs::load_env() loads optional credentials once; Env::process() and
configs::read_env(key) read secrets with process-over-dotenv precedence.
Ordinary settings use ConfigFile::load("AppConfig.toml") and typed dotted paths.
Generated server and logger use the same validated configuration snapshot.
let token = process.secret?;
let file = load?;
let timeout = file.range?;
Typed configuration
These APIs are available with CLI 0.1.12, runtime 0.1.7, and macros 0.1.6. Update the CLI before generating a new project. Existing applications require corresponding dependency and source changes; updating the CLI does not rewrite them.
The common configuration boundary separates ConfigFile for ordinary settings
from Env for secrets. Both report value-redacted validation errors. TOML parsing
preserves native types: false is a boolean, while "false" is an invalid type
for a boolean setting. get_or defaults only absent keys; supplied bad values
remain errors. range enforces numeric bounds; required rejects missing keys.
Generated configuration rejects unknown keys so typos cannot silently disable policies.
use ;
Add database.pool_size to the generated allowed-key schema when introducing
this custom setting. Initialize custom configuration before binding the listener.
SecretString redacts Debug output and requires .expose() for SDK/client access;
it does not promise memory zeroization. .env and TOML parse errors omit source
contents. Tests can use ConfigFile::parse(source) and map-backed Env::new
without changing process variables. Configuration is a startup snapshot.
Exception handling and domain mappings
Handlers and services can return typed domain errors. Map expected failures
explicitly using From<DomainError> for HttpError; controllers returning
Result<T, HttpError> can then use ?.
use ;
;
The response contains error.code, error.message, and a server-generated
error.request_id matching X-Request-Id. Custom mappings survive generated
response normalization. Public custom messages and codes are static API text;
never include user input or secrets. Codes accept lowercase ASCII letters,
digits, and underscores, up to 64 characters. Invalid codes use default details.
All 5xx errors use safe default messages even if custom text is supplied. Invalid
success statuses passed to HttpError::new become 500. Log an underlying failure
explicitly before mapping it; the framework does not serialize error Display text.
HttpError produces a JSON envelope on its own, with an empty request ID when
there is no request boundary. Generated applications already normalize errors,
preserve protocol/CORS/retry headers, discard stale representation headers, and
attach IDs. For a plain Axum router, install
xecute::exceptions::exception_boundary(router) once after assembling routes.
This helper normalizes error responses; generated servers also have their
existing panic-catching and deadline middleware. A panic in an independent
background task is outside the HTTP boundary.
Provider lifecycles and HTTP requests
| Scope | Lifetime |
|---|---|
| Singleton (default) | One instance per application container, shared across requests |
| Request | One instance per request context, shared across nested dependencies |
| Transient | A new instance on every resolution |
use Arc;
use ;
Register both types in a module's providers. Generated AppModule uses
Controller::scoped_router(container.clone()), creating a request context before
controller middleware and extractors. Nested factories resolve against that same
context. Use a named parameter context: xecute::Inject<RequestContext> in a
controller method, or Inject<T> in a plain Axum handler, to resolve explicitly.
Plain routers need xecute::with_container(router, Arc<Container>).
To resolve providers in app-level middleware, wrap the fully assembled middleware
pipeline with with_container as well. Matching nested boundaries reuse the same
request cache; mixing different container registries in one boundary returns a
safe 500 instead of resolving from the wrong application.
Controller::router(Arc<Controller>) remains available for explicitly supplied
controller instances; it cannot recreate their captured dependencies per request.
Use container.request() for jobs or tests requiring an explicit scope. Its
clones share a request cache; a second call creates an independent cache. Request
cache ownership is released at completion/cancellation, but any Arc retained by
application code keeps its value alive. RequestContainer<'a> remains a
compatibility alias for the owned RequestScope.
Startup rejects missing required registrations, duplicate providers/modules,
cycles, private module dependencies, and singleton-to-request dependencies even
through transient providers. Optional providers may be absent, but failures
constructing a registered optional provider propagate. Factories must declare
all dependencies; undeclared resolutions fail instead of risking recursive cache
deadlocks. Custom definitions can mark a declared dependency optional with
.optional_dependency::<T>().
Concurrent resolutions initialize each singleton/request provider once. Factory
errors are cached for that scope; recover external connectivity inside a shared
client instead of expecting factory retries. container.initialize() eagerly
constructs singletons and is called before generated applications listen.
Factories are synchronous: initialize asynchronous SDK/database clients at
startup and register their handles as values. A transient injected into a
singleton is created when that singleton is built, then retained by it.
Testing modules and HTTP assertions
Enable the runtime's optional test helpers only for development:
[]
= { = "0.1.7", = ["testing"] }
Generated manifests already include this entry. TestingModule compiles isolated
containers, applies overrides before initialization, and validates the final
dependency graph. Unknown or repeated overrides are errors, preventing a silently
unused mock. Values replace the same registered Rust type; for trait-based mocks,
use a concrete adapter containing Arc<dyn YourTrait> and replace that adapter.
Production containers remain unchanged.
use Arc;
use ;
let mut module = new;
for definition in cratedefinitions
// Example: module = module.override_value(DatabaseGateway(Arc::new(FakeDatabase)));
let container = new;
let routes = craterouter_with_container?;
let app = new;
let response = app.post
.json
.send.await?
.assert_status;
let body: Value = response.json?;
Run these async helpers inside a Tokio runtime, such as #[tokio::test].
The client runs the actual Router and middleware without a socket. It supports
arbitrary HTTP methods through .request, common method helpers, raw bodies,
headers, JSON payloads, and .peer(SocketAddr) for limiter tests. Loopback peer
information is supplied by default. Responses expose status, headers, bounded
bytes, typed JSON, and chainable .assert_status/.assert_json methods. Invalid
requests return test errors rather than panicking. Request and body collection
have a five-second timeout and a 1 MiB response limit; adjust with
TestApp::timeout and response_limit. This tests HTTP behavior in-process;
network/TLS/deployment behavior still belongs in deployment smoke tests.
The generated src/tests/application.rs demonstrates isolated container startup
and safe mapped errors. Resource tests demonstrate JSON validation and storage
through the same test client. The runtime test suite also covers trait adapters,
mock isolation, concurrent initialization, nested request scopes, and cleanup.
Multipart file uploads
Generated projects include src/modules/uploads/ with a controller and async
startup module. Enable private writes explicitly in AppConfig.toml:
[]
= true
= "local"
= "storage/uploads"
= 4
= 524288
= 524288
= ["image/png", "image/jpeg", "application/pdf"]
The endpoint accepts repeated file parts:
A successful request returns 201 with an array of metadata containing key,
original_name, content_type, size, and sha256. Generated UUID keys never
use client filenames. Local objects and staging files stay outside public/;
there is no public download route. Persist returned metadata in your own database
and implement authorized retrieval/deletion according to your application rules.
Attach authentication/permissions using the existing controller/route middleware
before enabling upload writes in a deployed application.
The runtime streams each part to a temporary file and keeps only an 8 KiB sniff
sample plus hashing state in memory. It checks actual per-file and aggregate
bytes, file count, nonempty content, safe display filenames, and an exact MIME
allowlist. Declared MIME must match an infer-recognized file signature; unknown
formats and mismatches are rejected. Signature recognition is not a full decoder,
malware scan, or content moderation system. Add those checks before publishing
files when your application needs them. Text form fields are not part of this
example contract; only repeated file fields are accepted.
| Failure | Status |
|---|---|
| Malformed multipart, unexpected field, unsafe filename | 400 |
| File content, aggregate bytes, or HTTP body limit exceeded | 413 |
| Unrecognized, mismatched, or disallowed MIME type | 415 |
| Missing/empty file or too many files | 422 |
| Storage provider failure | 500 with safe public details |
server.body_limit_bytes also bounds multipart framing and headers. When uploads
are enabled, startup requires it to cover uploads.max_total_bytes + 65536 bytes.
To accept larger files, increase both limits explicitly. HTTP deadlines and global
rate/concurrency policies still apply. The low-level UploadService expects its
caller to apply an HTTP body limit as well; payload limits alone do not bound
multipart headers or framing.
All files validate before any storage commit. Invalid batches remove staging files without writing final objects. Local storage publishes complete files atomically without replacing an existing key. Handled storage failures trigger best-effort deletion of previously committed batch objects. A process crash, cancelled request, or uncertain S3 response can leave staging/committed objects; use application reconciliation, disk quotas, and retention/cleanup appropriate to your deployment. Stored objects do not expire automatically. Keep upload storage and staging directories private and unavailable for untrusted filesystem writes.
S3 storage
S3 is an optional Cargo feature; local uploads do not compile the AWS SDK.
Ordinary backend settings stay in AppConfig.toml:
[]
= true
= "s3"
= "storage/uploads" # private streaming staging directory
= 4
= 524288
= 524288
= ["image/png", "image/jpeg", "application/pdf"]
[]
= "my-private-bucket"
= "us-east-1"
= "" # AWS default; set an HTTPS URL for an S3-compatible service
= "uploads"
= false
= false
Use workload credentials or the standard AWS credential provider chain. For local
static credentials, put only AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, and an
optional AWS_SESSION_TOKEN in .env; never put them in TOML. Compile/run with:
# Container image with the optional SDK:
For local MinIO, configure endpoint, force_path_style = true, and explicitly
set allow_http = true only if the development endpoint uses HTTP. Embedded
credentials, query strings, and endpoint paths are rejected. The adapter uses the
official AWS SDK, streams retryable file bodies, supplies MIME/checksum metadata,
and uses conditional If-None-Match: * writes. It never creates buckets, changes
ACLs, or makes objects public. Provision a bucket and scoped PutObject/DeleteObject
permissions, plus KMS permissions if required by its encryption policy. Bucket
versioning, lifecycle, encryption, and application metadata retention remain
operator/application choices.
Runtime users enable xecute/upload for UploadPolicy, UploadService,
LocalStorage, and the UploadStorage adapter trait; upload-s3 adds S3Storage.
S3Storage::new accepts an application-configured AWS client; from_environment
uses the standard credential chain. #[multipart] inside a #[routes] method
produces the matching multipart OpenAPI schema and cannot be combined with JSON
body metadata. The example Swagger page can submit repeated file fields.
Tests cover invalid batches, count/size limits, request framing limits, generated keys, private storage, temporary-file cleanup, and handled-failure rollback. A local mock S3 endpoint verifies signed conditional PUT, streamed content, metadata, and DELETE; no live cloud bucket or real credentials are used by the tests.
API version groups and separate OpenAPI documents
Generated applications explicitly register version groups in
src/server/versions.rs:
| URL | Contract |
|---|---|
/example |
Existing unversioned resource alias |
/v1/example |
Version-one resources, using the same v1 service/container |
/v1/uploads |
Version-one upload endpoint when uploads are enabled |
/v2/status |
Independent v2 example from src/modules/api_v2/ |
/docs/v1/ |
Version-one Swagger UI |
/docs/v1/openapi.json |
Version-one contract, with /v1/... paths |
/docs/v2/ |
Version-two Swagger UI |
/docs/v2/openapi.json |
Version-two contract, with /v2/... paths |
/docs/ and /docs/openapi.json continue to describe the unversioned aliases.
Each version has its own routes, operation IDs, and schema components; v2 does
not automatically inherit v1 resources. Add v2-specific modules/controllers to
its router as the contract evolves. Use a separate DI container when a version
needs independently constructed provider instances.
use ;
let versions = new
.with?
.with?;
let router = versions.mount;
let documents = versions.documents?;
Supply controller paths relative to the group; the router and documented paths
receive the same prefix. Canonical labels are v1, v2, etc, with positive u32
version numbers. Invalid labels, duplicate groups, and conflicting contracts fail
before serving. The same operation ID/schema name may appear in different
version documents. Global application policies wrap all groups.
[]
= true
[]
= true
Set api.versioning_enabled = false to keep only unversioned aliases. Set
docs.enabled = false to hide all Swagger/OpenAPI routes while keeping API routes
active. Startup logs include each enabled version's Swagger and OpenAPI URLs.
The registration pattern is explicit URL versioning; header-based versioning and
automatic deprecation/sunset behavior are not implied.